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‘On Top’ of Table Mountain for the WPC

Table Mountain in Cape Town South Africa, was named in 2011 as one of the new ‘Seven Wonders of Nature’. From the top of this mountain, there are magnificent views of the Cape Town city centre, surrounding suburbs and the Atlantic Ocean.

One can also see Robben Island, some 6.9 kms off the coast in Table Bay. The island was declared a World Heritage Site, because it represents a critical chapter in South Africa’s path towards democracy. It was on this island that Nelson Mandela spent 18 of the 27 years he served as a prisoner of the Apartheid Government.

Table Mountain may look really flat from a distance, but it’s actually really rugged terrain. The easiest way to reach the top is by aerial cable-way, although some of the more intrepid, do the 3 km hike up, which can take from three to four hours.

Once on top of the mountain, you are 1,085 metres above sea level, and although as mountains go, it’s not that tall, it’s a truly iconic mountain, being a staggering 260-million years old. The original Khoi people named it ‘Hoerikwaggo’, the mountain in the sea. The Nguni people, called it ‘Umlindiwengizimu’, the watcher of the south. They believed that it was placed there by Qamata their most prominent god, as the custodian to protect all of Africa.

The scrubby looking natural shrubland, known as ‘fynbos’ which covers Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula, is one of the richest and most diverse eco-systems in the world, and over 1,460 of the 8,200 plant species found in The Cape, grow on this mountain.

Being on top of Table Mountain is an experience you will never forget. I was lucky to go up there on a calm and clear day, but the mountain weather is legendary, and extremely changeable. There can be south-easterly winds of up to 130 km/hour, known as ‘The Cape Doctor’, which, as you can imagine, are very dangerous for anyone caught up there at the time. In summertime, the top of Table Mountain is often not visible, as it’s covered by soft white cloud, known as ‘the table cloth’. Unfortunately, I don’t have a photo of this phenomenon, as we were there in early Spring.

I hope you’ve enjoyed my pics for the Weekly Photo Challenge. To see more entries, just click on the badge below.

99 comments on “‘On Top’ of Table Mountain for the WPC”

I took the totally lazy way up on the cable car 🙂 but it was well worth it for the view. My favorite part though was when the fog came creeping over the tabletop, seen from down below. A magnificent site! Thanks for the memory!

Stunning views, breath taking, easy to see why it was named as one of the new ‘Seven Wonders of Nature’! I´ve never been lucky enough to visit Cape Town, hopefully some day! I think the last shot is my favourite, they´re all so beautiful it´s hard to say for sure, I just love the ruggedness of the mountain leading you into the manmade developments that lie below. Love it, Sylvia. Giana 🙂

Fabulous photos Sylvia . I nearly posted the same view 😉
You’re right a view never to be forgotten.. especially after queuing so long – a couple of hours – for that cable car .Still we had lots of fun people watching and random conversations like you do in such situations.
Fortunately we had a good day of visibility too loved seeing all the coastline and bays .Thought we’d make the most of it and walk down … rather it that way 😉

Ignoring Everest, I can’t think of a more appropriate place to use in response to the challenge. The mountain itself is unique in both terrain and weather conditions, with views nothing short of spectacular. Thanks for taking us along.

I like the idea of going up in the cable car and walking down. The views are gorgeous. Table Mountain is probably the same as our highest mountain Mt Kosciuszko. It’s so old that it has eroded away so it’s not as high as it used to be! Magnificent!

I have climbed up a few times but the one I enjoyed the most was the climb from Constantia Neck partially on the tar road and then on the paths past the reservoirs.. to the highest point… the best walk for all the proteas etc… then down the cable way… climbed from the botanical gardens on Smuts climb but never from the front, looks far to difficult…